As fans of cronuts and cake pops can attest, food trends come and go. So how can you tell which tastes are trending today?
We took a data-driven look at the question, using Yelp to analyze which restaurants have been getting outsized attention this month.
To find out who made the list, we looked at Seattle businesses on Yelp by category and counted how many reviews each received. Rather than compare them based on number of reviews alone, we calculated a percentage increase in reviews over the past month, and tracked businesses that consistently increased their volume of reviews to identify statistically significant outliers compared to past performance.
Read on to see which spots are on a hot streak this autumn.
Junkichi Robata Izakaya
Open since April, this izakaya and sushi bar, which offers seafood and more, is trending compared to other businesses categorized as "seafood" on Yelp.
Citywide, seafood spots saw review counts increase by a median of 1.2 percent over the past month, but Junkichi Robata Izakaya saw a 12.9 percent increase, maintaining a strong four-star rating throughout.
Located at 224 Broadway East (between Olive Way and Thomas Street) in Capitol Hill, Junkichi Robata Izakaya offers service with an assist from Sota, a small robot that is placed on tables to help customers and servers communicate. The menu features a variety of Japanese fare, including cold and hot dishes, skewers, soups and salads and more.
Little Chengdu
Whether or not you've been hearing buzz about Rainier Valley's Little Chengdu, the Sichuan spot, which offers noodles and more, is a hot topic according to Yelp review data.
While businesses categorized as "noodles" on Yelp increased their review counts by a median of 3.6 percent over the past month, Little Chengdu bagged a 23.6 percent increase in reviews within that timeframe, maintaining a healthy four-star rating. It significantly outperformed the previous month by gaining 3.2 times more reviews than expected based on its past performance.
There's more that's trending on Seattle's noodle scene: Thai Thai Kitchen has seen a 11.9 percent increase in reviews.
Open since early 2018 at 2815 S. Hanford St. (between South MLK Jr. Way and South Rainier Avenue), Little Chengdu offers noodles, traditional dishes, wontons and dumplings, chow mein, rice dishes and hot pots.
Reckless Noodle House
Reckless Noodle House is also making waves. Open since January at 2519 S. Jackson St. (between South 26th and South 25th avenues), the bar and Asian fusion spot has seen a 10.9 percent bump in reviews over the last month, compared to a median review increase of 2.3 percent for all businesses tagged "bars" on Yelp.
Reckless Noodle House offers a variety of Asian-inspired fare from China, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, including small and large plates featuring rice, noodles and a variety of meats. A plethora of libations are also on the menu, including beer, wine and both signature and classic cocktails.
Over the past month, it's maintained a convincing 4.5-star rating among Yelpers.
